No one has reached this milestone as quickly as A-Rod has, not even Hank Aaron. Rodriguez had this to say:

“It feels good to keep moving up the line.” “Long after I’m playing, I’ll have a chance to reflect on that. Right now, the focus is on winning.”

The Yankees have won four straight series to open the season and are tied for first place with Tampa Bay with a record of 8-3.

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Yeah, OK, there have been countless other screw-ups in sports lately. Tiger Woods is the obvious headliner. Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, the list goes on and on. But who would have expected 58-year-old Rangers manager Ron Washington to add to the Mt. Rushmore of sports f-ups?

Not I. When I heard that, I thought, could it be? Could the Sports Screw-ups Wolfpack add a new member?

Apparently.

How ridiculous is that? What an example Washington is setting. He’s the manager of a team that already carries a former coke addict (Josh Hamilton). How could he resort to drugs himself?

The manager is supposed to be the rock of the team. The one that people look up to for guidance and direction. How can he direct anybody now that he publicly screwed up? How can somebody like Hamilton turn to him for guidance in a time of weakness if there’s question whether Washington himself is stable or not?

How does Washington still have a job? I know Tony LaRussa got a DUI. He’s a great manager who made a mistake. But, Washington is no LaRussa. He’s replaceable, for sure. Plus, cocaine is some serious stuff. A lot of people drink. A very few amount of people do cocaine.

People can become addicted to both and I’m not about to defend LaRussa or minimize his DUI, but Washington’s offense was far worse. I can’t think of a time where I’ve heard a manager in the negative spotlight like this. ESPN spent half their St. Patty’s Day discussing the bad luck that Washington had to get tested when he did.

As a baseball fanatic, I think Washington is worthy of a second-chance at some point, but I don’t think he should retain his position as manager. He says this is the first time he has ever used cocaine. Who uses cocaine just once? Plus, why would he first try cocaine at age 58? He’s a freakin senior citizen, for gosh sakes. I doubt as highly that this was not his first time as much as I doubt that Ashlee Simpson never had plastic surgery.

He needs to get himself straight before he can be in charge of 25 other guys and a handful of other coaches. I won’t go so far as to say Washington is a disgrace to the game of baseball, but he certainly found a different way to taint the already-tainted MLB.

Washington’s public statement was perfect, but it was too perfect. He was coached on what to say and said exactly what he needed to say, just like Tiger Woods. I can’t believe it. I can’t take it to heart. Athletes are too much like politicians nowadays. Everything they say has a hidden agenda.

Regardless, the MLB doesn’t need any more negative attention. Managers, coaches, players, owners, general mangers, groundskeepers, whoever. Keep your s**t together, please. Let’s give the young kids who idolize this sport and everybody who plays it something that we can be proud of. They deserve it.

After breaking the home run record more than a decade ago, McGwire admitted his steroid usage during his playing career which went on for more than a decade, including his recording breaking season.

“It’s very emotional, it’s telling family members, friends and coaches, you know, it’s former teammates to try to get a hold of, you know, that I’m coming clean and being honest,” he said. “It’s the first time they’ve ever heard me, you know, talk about this. I hid it from everybody.” – from ESPN.com

McGwire is now officially the sixth player expected of using steroids in the top 15 of the all-time MLB home run list. The other 5 players include:

• Barry Bonds (never admitted)
• Sammy Sosa (never admitted)
• Alex Rodriguez
• Rafael Palmeiro
• Manny Ramirez

Mark McGwire was signed by the Cardinals this offseason to be the teams new hitting coach.

UPDATE from SportsbyBrooks: McGwire will sit for Bob Costas on MLB Network tonight at 7p ET from a location in California. Huge coup for MLB net, let’s just hope Costas doesn’t give McGwire a pass as Peter Gammons did with Alex Rodriguez.